January is done and dusted and 2018 is well under way. Business events, networking sessions and conferences are all beginning to appear on the calendar.

If you’re organising an event, how much focus do you put on getting bums on seats? Is there so much pressure to get the front-end right that you struggle to ensure the follow up marketing strategy is implemented effectively?

Does your conference message get heard for days and weeks after the event has finished and do delegates take learning back to their companies and share it with colleagues?

Many business events and conferences I’ve been to have provided incredible industry insights and helped me to unpick knotty technical issues. But once the event is over and you’re back at your desk, it’s not always easy to remember the headline points or regain the same understanding of complex subjects as you enjoyed on the day.

Capturing what’s said in session round-ups will make sure ideas and insights don’t float out of the conference hall and disappear. Once you’ve captured all the ideas and key points, you can share them with delegates (and others), adding value to their experience.

As you think about what sort of post-conference content would work best for your audience, here’s a few things that you might want to avoid.

Don’t overwhelm people with PowerPoint. If you send out a pack of slides, it’s unlikely people will read them, let alone understand them in isolation. PowerPoint slides are the hooks that presenters hang their content on. Why send out a bag of hooks when it’s the content and delivery that carries all the value?

Don’t assume delegates will take complete notes. It’s difficult to write down all the important points while staying focused on the presentation, and crucial information invariably gets missed. This is especially true once you’re into the third or fourth session.

Don’t rely on news coverage. Journalists will focus on the most important points for their audience. They won’t offer the sort of individual session breakdowns that are most valuable and useful to delegates.

Don’t forget that some of the most telling insights come from the floor. These often get missed unless you’re looking out for them and can capture them immediately.

Don’t lose touch with delegates after the event. You’ve worked hard to bring everyone together and provide speakers offering business critical information, expert advice and market-leading experience. Capture this knowledge and turn it into valuable content for your delegates and potential prospects.